Colossal waves in California blamed on New Zealand storm

A recent storm near New Zealand is being blamed for major waves thousands of miles away off the coast of California this week.

The National Weather Service says Californians can expect to
encounter massive waves through Tuesday this week as a result of
the storm that erupted on Thursday and Friday in the southern
hemisphere, the Los Angeles Times reported.

According to the paper, a high-surf advisory has been issued for
the west coast upon concerns that waves as tall as 15 feet could
crash onto Newport Beach in Orange County.

“Once those waves are created, they keep traveling until they
reach land,” David Sweet, a weather service meteorologist,
told the Times. “So we can thank our friends Down
Under.”

According to the Associated Press, authorities had to rescue
at least 16 people in Newport Beach on Sunday due to high waves.
Additionally, the Carnival Imagination cruise ship was prompted
to change course and dock in San Diego due to the extreme
conditions.

"Therefore, in the interest of caution, the cruise ship ...
deviated to San Diego," Carnival said in a statement.

The LA Daily News reported that current swells have been racing
across the Pacific from New Zealand at a rate of around 30 miles
per hour, according to NASA oceanographer Bill Patzert, covering
upwards of 750 miles each day.